Rensselaer County receives grant

Published 4:37 pm, Thursday, February 14, 2013

TROY — Rensselaer County has received a $5 million state grant to upgrade its public safety communications system.

County Executive Kathleen Jimino said recently that the grant from the state Department of Homeland Security will allow the county "to create and maintain a radio communications system that our first responders can count on."

The county will use the money to improve communications for police, fire and ambulance response in its municipalities.

The $5 million will cover the cost of replacing one of the seven communications tower sites; upgrade the connectivity among the seven towers; expand the number of available radio frequencies and meet the Federal Communications Commission's requirement for narrow-band frequencies; and pay for new mobile and portable radios for police agencies.

"These upgrades to our emergency communications system are vitally important to our first responders' ability to help those in need," Jimino stated.